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Sunday morning was another early one, and we dragged our tired bottoms up at 5am to see the sunrise over both the Kata Tjuta & Uluru. Liam admitted he'd woken up in the middle of the night to see a dingo trot past our heads, which was a comforting thought. The sky was much clearer, but still a little cloudy, so no glow once more - but instead the entire sky turned a pinkish haze which changed speedily to orange and then to blue. We marched back onto the bus and headed off to our walk around the Olgas. It was a much more difficult walk, and the day was warmer which made it even more so - but the views from the peaks were worth the sweat. Chris introduced the much-needed cookie breaks. He would climb to the top of a hill and then shake the cookie bag encouragingly down to the rest of us. Needless to say we all raced up! He explained the geology of the area - whereas yesterday he focused more on the dreamtime stories set down by the aboriginies. We both had our theories as to how the rocks were formed, and to a certain extent we were both right, which was nice :)
I must mention here the daily routine we adopted for collecting firewood. This would involve Chris spontaneously pulling over on an otherwise uninteresting side of the road, to announce to the bus that we were to 'hack down some dead trees.' A good way to vent frustration, and very amusing to watch each other kick, pull, jump and dangle off dead tree branches and trucks to fuel our fires for the evening.
It pretty much took the entire afternoon after lunch to get to our evening camp. Since sunset was at about half 5 we were hard pressed during daylight to set camp up in time - especially this night where we stayed 7km into the bus away from any civilisation. It was thoroughly worth it though - not a sound when we were all quiet. That night, Chris unearthed a kangaroo tail, whole and unskinned, that he'd bought that day from a service station for $7. He declared he would be roasting it that night for anyone who dared try, and of course we did! It tasted incredibly fatty (and a bit ashy because of the fire). Liam liked it but Claire wasn't so keen, still, have to try these things. We then spent the evening around the campfire telling ghost stories (including the one of the man who lives upstairs in Claire's house, and routinely walks down the stairs) and playing the harmonica. We discovered that 'Thriller' isn't really suitable for a harmonica, but 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot' is. Good times!
So today was our last Alice springs tour day. We hopped onto the bus for another 5am start and headed to Kings Canyon for another rim walk which took about 3 hours. Again was the customary cookie break in the Garden of Eden - a paradise of trees and water within a barren canyon top. The walk was really difficult, especially for Claire who was suffering from a horrible throaty cough, but Liam's asthma didn't play up which was a blessing. Somehow the group got split up half way through, but we all ended down at the bottom by the jeep at the end so no one got properly lost along the way.
And then it was time to part company with half of the group! :( Some of us were headed back to Alice, as we were only doing the 3 day tour, the rest would continue to other locations as they were on a 5 day tour. It was quite emotional, sleeping outdoors metres from people you don't really know (and who snore loudly) tends to bring you closer. Even if some people couldn't pronounce your name properly. Aka Clara and Lium.
And so tomorrow brings Sydney! We've had an excellent, excellent few days camping and shower-free, but are thoroughly ready for a bit of luxury (bed & toilet) once more, and the chance to explore possibly the coolest city in the world. Speak soon!
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